Terror of the Crystal Caves
by cheri1
Summary: 10/OC with Jenny. The third in a series of stories set after Journey's End. The Doctor, Rain and Jenny decide to go off on a holiday but soon run afoul of an evil princess who wants the Doctor for herself and will stop at nothing to make him hers.FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the third in a series of stories involving the adventures of Alan and Rose and the Doctor and Rain and their family. The first two stories are Something Old, Something New and The Soldier and the Scientist.

Chapter One

"You sure you'll be alright?" the Doctor asked Alan as he put on his trench coat.

"Yes, Brother. Considering I originally sprang from you, I think I know how to fly the TARDIS and keep her safe while you take Jenny and Rain on holiday," Alan said. "But my concern is the Valeyard's TARDIS gonna keep you safe? Is she gonna listen to you?"

"Yes, why wouldn't she? We repaired her and removed everything that he did to her. She's just like this TARDIS now. You do remember she defied him to help us, right? She's not like the Rani's TARDIS so just relax. I'm sure she'll be just as happy as we are to get away for a couple of days, being cooped up in that storage closet and all."

He nodded.

"Well, while you're on holiday, we'll be off exploring as well," he said as they walked back towards the storage closet housing the spare TARDIS. "Is there any particular place you wanna meet up at?"

"Yes, we'll meet on the moon by the Sea of Tranquility in three days time," he replied.

"Gotcha."

"Just be careful all of you," the Doctor said.

"You too, Brother."

"I will but I'm just going for a little sightseeing on Tarantan with my wife and daughter, just a little chance for us to bond, nothing more than that."

Alan snorted.

"Famous last words, Te'lesau," he said.

They reached the storage closet and the Doctor opened the door. He smiled when he stepped inside and saw the TARDIS. It was disguised as a huge lump of coral and he walked up, stroking it fondly.

"Hello, old girl. Feel like taking me and my wife and daughter on a holiday?"

He smiled when the TARDIS wheezed once and nudged his brain.

"See, she won't hurt us," he said, stroking her fondly. "Just go ahead and do whatever you want to do while we go on our sightseeing trip."

They hugged each other and the Doctor called to Rain and Jenny telling him he was ready. They walked in the room several minutes later carrying a picnic basket and a large blanket.

"Ready?" the Doctor said to them.

They nodded and set the supplies down while they gave Alan a hug.

"Be careful, Bro," Rain said.

"You too, Te'lesu, have fun."

He hugged Jenny.

"I'll see you when you get back, Jen. Don't let your father run you too ragged."

"I won't, Uncle Alan."

He kissed his niece's cheek and let go so they could take the things into the TARDIS.

"I'll go lower the TARDIS defenses and give you the all clear when I'm done and it's safe for you to dematerialize," he said.

The Doctor nodded and hugged him once more before he hurried back to the console room. The Doctor closed the TARDIS doors and walked over to his family standing by the console.

"This is different from yours, Dad," Jenny said, pointing to the smooth metal surface and the neat arrangement of switches and buttons.'

"Well, not every TARDIS can be as perfect as mine," he quipped.

They stood back while he powered it up. Jenny looked behind her and noticed there was no jump seat. She looked off to her right and noticed two iron rings were hanging out of the wall.

"Dad? What is the purpose of those?" she asked.

The Doctor looked where she was pointing.

"They had chains attached to them. I was chained there when I was first taken by the Valeyard because he made me watch Alan and Rose's wedding."

He held Jenny when he saw her anguished look.

"Don't worry, I survived being chained to the wall when I was his "guest"," he said while Rain hugged him from behind. "Anyway, when we fixed the TARDIS we took the chains out but left those there in case I do need to put them back to restrain a foe and who knows, I might make them into nifty towel holders in the meantime."

He smiled when they laughed and sent love into their minds.

_Okay, Brother, shields are down now. You can leave whenever you're ready._

"Brilliant, let's get goin' and head for the open vortex! Next stop, Tarantan," he said, flipping switches and buttons.

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The Doctor opened the door and stuck his head out. It was a beautiful sunny day on Tarantan. The blue sky overhead was cloudless and the twin suns were warming the green grass below. He stepped aside and let his family come outside with the picnic basket and blanket.

"Wow!" Jenny said, looking around.

"I love it. It's just like Earth except for the two suns," Rain said.

"Yes it is. The atmosphere is almost the same. I chose it though because they have gorgeous crystal caves all over the planet that we can explore. I thought it would be a nice way to get a bit of exercise and bond with one another more closely. Plus, we can get away from my bouncy, wacky brother for awhile," he added, winking. "Just the three of us alone on holiday on a beautiful little planet, what could be better than that?"

He closed the door and put his arms around them while they walked a short distance away from the TARDIS. He looked back and noticed the TARDIS now looked like a large boulder.

"Gotta get used to this TARDIS having a functioning chameleon circuit," he said, gesturing to it. "We have to remember she looks like a rock and not a police box when we do get back from exploring."

They spread out the blanket on the grass and sat the basket down while they sat down near each other. The Doctor reached inside, pulled out some sandwiches, cheese and fruit and some cans of soda and passed them out. He lay down on his side and ate while the three of them talked to one another. While they ate, Rain looked around and noticed two stone towers and a parapet of a castle nestled in the middle of a huge forest, looking like something out of Robin Hood. She pointed it out to her husband.

"Oh yes, they have a monarchy on this planet," he said. "That may be the main castle or one of the summer palaces. You don't have to worry, love. The ruler is friendly. We're not in any danger. If we were, I wouldn't eat out in the open like this."

"Are there any dangerous things here?" Jenny asked.

The Doctor munched on a bit of cheddar while he thought.

"I don't think so, is there?" Rain said. "At least, not from the knowledge I have of the planet."

He shook his head.

"Course I haven't been here in centuries and there could be dangerous things here now. But I still think we'll be safe. This is a well defended planet."

"If it's well defended," Jenny said, "then they're not gonna like us lying here and eating, are they?"

He shrugged.

"If someone rides out here and protests, we'll get back in the TARDIS and find somewhere else to have a holiday. I'm gonna try to stay out of trouble if I can help it, especially with my wife and daughter with me. This is just gonna be a relaxing time for all of us and…"

"Thete."

The Doctor looked where his wife was pointing and noticed three people riding out of the woods on large llama-like animals. There were two men dressed in shining armor carrying long pikes and behind them was someone in a long purple traveling cloak, her face obscured by the hood.

"Let me handle this," he said to his family while they stood up.

The men rode up and stopped several feet from them.

"Who are you?" a big burly man barked out.

"My name is the Doctor. This is Rain and Jenny. We're not doing anything except having a picnic lunch and doing a bit of exploring in your caves afterwards. We're not gonna attack you or your rulers. We won't leave so much as an orange peel behind when we leave. We just wanna be left alone. We don't mean anyone any harm."

Rain gasped when the other guard leveled his pike at his neck.

"Please, he's telling the truth!" Rain protested as she and Jenny stepped up beside him, "we're not doing anything except having a little vacation. We're travelers and that's all we are, honestly."

"Stand down," the woman said, holding up her hand.

The man with the pike looked back at her.

"Milady, this man…"

"Is not a threat. He's eating with these two women. Surely you can see that. Now stand down."

"Yes Milady," the man said.

Rain and Jenny breathed sighs of relief when he swung the pike up to a vertical position and backed up the llama creature along with the other guard. They watched warily while the lady rode up and pulled the hood down. She had pale skin, piercing blue eyes and long black hair.

"Doctor, is it? My name is Kida, Princess of the Pashtorian people."

The Doctor bowed his head.

"Your Highness, my family and I are here on holiday, nothing more. We wanted to eat a picnic lunch and go exploring a bit in the crystal caves. That's all."

Kida rode closer to him. Rain raised her eyebrow when she leaned over and stroked his face.

"Um…excuse me, but I'm married and this is my wife right behind me," the Doctor said when he felt Rain's anger flaring up in his mind.

Kida looked at her disdainfully for a moment and then smiled at the Doctor.

"Why not come and eat with me in my palace?" she said. "I have plenty of food and I'm sure you'll be more comfortable there."

"And when you say "you", you also mean the two other people behind me, right?" the Doctor said.

Once again, the look of disdain as she glanced at Rain and Jenny.

"Of course, I do," she said, smiling.

The Doctor stared at her. He caught the way she had looked at his family and didn't like it.

"No, thank you, I appreciate your hospitality, Highness, but we're fine right here," he said as politely as he could. "We came here so we could be alone and enjoy one another's company and if you don't mind, we'd like to eat by ourselves."

Kida glanced at Rain who had a smirk on her face. She looked at the Doctor.

"I will permit you to stay here and eat and do a bit of exploring but you will be watched and if you have a nefarious purpose in mind then you will all be arrested and thrown in the dungeons. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," the Doctor said.

Rain snorted softly.

_Gee, she suddenly got all businesslike after you wouldn't accept her advances, didn't she?_ She thought to him.

The Doctor tried not to laugh at that. He stared calmly at Kida whose kindly demeanor had become cold and impersonal after he rejected her invitation. She looked back at her guards.

"Come on, back to the castle," she said.

They bowed their heads. As they turned their llamas around, Kida glanced back at the Doctor and looked at Rain and Jenny who were both staring at her defiantly. She snorted and lightly kicked the sides of her llama.

"Charming," Rain said as she rode off with her guards.

The Doctor shot her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Latara. Apparently she doesn't get the concept of marriage."

"Oh, I think she got it alright. I have a feeling she just doesn't care."

"Well, I'm not interested in her. I only have eyes for you, my love."

He wrapped her arms around her and Jenny holding them tightly.

"Come on, let's eat, do a bit of exploring and we can go somewhere else for our holiday. Preferably somewhere that doesn't have a jealous monarch ruling over it."

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Kida sighed angrily as she came up the steps from the stables into the main part of the castle. She was the Princess of Tarantan and she was used to getting her way. She had bedded many men from all over the galaxy, men who had been more than willing to have sex with a princess but this one was different. Now only was he handsome but there was something else about him that made him stand out from the others. The fact that he had a wife and child didn't bother her in the least. She had done away with other men's wives before so she could use them as she pleased. But this man she sensed was destined to be more than just a bedroom plaything. The thing he had that was different from the others was a regal air about him, an aura of authority and power. Kida needed a consort, someone to rule at her side when her father died and she became ruler and she figured this Doctor might be worthy enough. The wife and child were just an afterthought. Once she disposed of them and had him in her power then he would forget all about them and if he didn't…she had ways to make him forget.

Besides, she had a secret weapon and now that she knew they were going to be exploring the crystal caves, she could use them without fear of the Doctor discovering her plan. After all, her pets lived in the caves and it would be all too easy for her future consort's women to run afoul of them and end up as their dinner. The handsome stranger would grieve their loss and while he did that, she would be there to offer her assistance any way she could, all the while seducing him into her bed.

She smiled to herself as she went down another flight of stairs to speak with the largest of her pets. Her family had a symbiotic relationship with them going back centuries. She provided them food while they gave her and her castle protection. Her parents rarely dealt with them, however, since they were uneasy about the arrangement, but she loved it. She loved that these creatures were willing to kill and die for her in return for a little fresh meat from time to time. Usually it was someone from her kingdom. Some homeless vagrant or someone who had been arrested and thrown into prison for some offense. Rarely, did she get to feed them off-worlders so it would be a rare treat for them.

"Poor Doctor," she said, putting her hand against a large stone door at the bottom of the stairs and pushing it open. "Your poor family is about to meet with a tragic death. But don't worry my future consort; I will be there to comfort you in your time of sorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

After they ate, they put the picnic basket and blanket back in the TARDIS. Then they turned to their left and the Doctor led them into a dense patch of forest in search of an opening to one of the caves. While they walked, Rain glanced around at the treetops. She kept thinking of Kida's words, that they were being watched and it made her nervous. She had no doubt that her husband could protect himself but still, the threat made her uneasy and she began to wonder if it was such a good idea staying when they could have gone somewhere where there wasn't an angry jealous princess breathing down their neck. But if she had learned one thing about her husband in the short time they had been together it was this, the man wasn't easily intimidated. She knew no snotty nosed brat princess was gonna force him to leave the planet before he was ready and the fact that he was walking through the woods with total unconcern confirmed that for her. She admired that about him. His complete confidence and command of every situation that some people called arrogance and egotism and perhaps it was a bit of that, but she saw it as knowing who he was and what he could do and being confident in that. Her husband would never have been able to survive 1200 years without being this way, she knew that much, and she only hoped in time she could become like him. But for the moment, she still held doubts and fears that something bad might happen to her and her family and she would rather just get back in the TARDIS and go somewhere else.

While they walked, something caught her attention and she stopped to look at a huge spider resting on a nearby tree. The thing was large, black and hairy like a tarantula. She stared at it and it stared back with ruby colored eyes.

"Creepy," she said.

The Doctor glanced back at her and he and Jenny stopped.

"What's creepy?" he said, walking back to her.

She pointed to it when he walked up. The Doctor frowned.

"What's that doing here?" he muttered.

Jenny looked at him.

"It's sitting there, Dad."

He shook his head.

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, there are no spiders on Tarantan so what's this doing here?"

Jenny frowned.

"Are you sure?" Rain asked.

He nodded.

"Yes. Spiders don't exist here."

"But maybe they did and you didn't know it," Rain said. "I mean, you said you haven't been here in centuries, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, on Earth, they keep finding new species all the time in the Amazonian rain forests. Maybe this spider's been here all along and you didn't see it the last time."

"No, spiders only exist in certain areas on certain planets and this isn't one of those planets."

"So, someone brought it here?" Jenny asked.

"Perhaps, but why?" he mused. "Why bring it here and then set it free?"

He came closer and looked down on it.

"It's not an Earth tarantula, the eyes are all wrong," he muttered.

He looked around and noticed a branch lying on the ground. He picked it up and urged his family to stand back. They backed up while he put the end of the branch near the spider's jaws.

"Let's see how benign this little fella is," he said waving the branch slowly back and forth in front of his eyes.

They gasped when the spider lunged onto the branch and bit it with such force that the end of the twig broke in two.

"Okay. Not so benign…at least not to twigs," the Doctor said, throwing the rest of the twig on the ground. "Just keep your eyes open and don't put your hands on any tree trunks if you can help it."

He put his hand on Rain's back and took Jenny's hand before walking off.

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Ten minutes later, the Doctor felt Jenny tug on his trench coat sleeve.

"Yes, Angel?"

She pointed off to her left and the Doctor and Rain looked at where she was pointing. Rain's mouth dropped open when she saw an enormous web spun between two trees.

"Oh my God, it's huge," Rain said. "That web's got to be at least 10 by 15 feet. That little tarantula made this?"

The Doctor slowly walked up to it keeping his eyes open for the web's occupant. He glanced up in the tree on the right side of the web and frowned when he saw a massive cocoon stuck on a limb just above it. He whipped out his sonic screwdriver, backed up with his family and aimed it at the limb. He turned it on and there was a crack as the limb broke and fell to the ground. The cocoon rolled a couple of times toward them and stopped. The three of them approached it slowly and the Doctor bent down. He took out his glasses and put them on. Snapping a branch off the fallen limb he poked and prodded it while his wife and daughter looked around for the spider. The Doctor tore through the thick silk covering the large oblong bulge and used the branch to widen the hole. Rain and Jenny came over and bent over his back looking at what he found.

"Some kind of animal," the Doctor said making the hole bigger. "Deer most likely. A small deer, maybe a baby. It's been exsanguinated. Look here…"

Rain and Jenny bent down beside him and noticed two large bite marks in the creature's neck.

"Thete, that little spider couldn't have done this," she said, pointing to the bite marks.

"No, it appears our little eight legged friend will grow up to be quite a large bloke eventually."

"Dad, maybe we should get out of here," Jenny said.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, I don't think the crystal caves are important enough that we risk becoming a spider's dinner. Come on, loves, we'll go somewhere else for a holiday."

They got up and started back towards the TARDIS. On the way back the Doctor suddenly heard a thunder boom and saw a flash of lightning in the clouds overhead. He let out a curse and looked all around them.

"Thete, what's wrong?"

"We need to get to shelter now. The storms are fierce here and trust me; we don't wanna be out in them. They don't happen very often but when they do, they bring acid rain mixed in with the regular rain. We won't be able to make it back to the TARDIS in time."

He looked behind him and his eyes picked out the mouth of a cave through a clump of trees.

"This way!" he said, pointing to it.

They ran as fast as they could towards it. There was another thunder boom and it started to sprinkle. Rain gasped when a raindrop hit her skin and the tiny amount of acid in it stung her. She picked up speed when the rain started falling faster and faster.

They reached the caves just as the rain hit full force. All of them sighed as they leaned back against the cave wall. Rain's eyes widened when she noticed little smoke trails rising from the tree trunks around the cave when the acid rain hit it.

"Dad, why'd you even bring us to this place? So far, there's been a hateful princess and her guards, huge spiders and acid rain."

"The spiders weren't here before and the acid rain only happens once every couple of years. I had no idea we would run into both and the bitchy, jealous princess. I was just trying to show you these caves," he said gesturing around the interior.

"Will the TARDIS be alright?" Rain said pointing to the smoking tree trunks.

"Oh yeah, TARDISes can withstand a hell of a lot more than a little acid rain. She'll be fine. In the meantime, we might as well take a look in here while we wait for the rain to stop," he said.

He reached into his trench coat and gave his wife and daughter flashlights. He was getting one out for him when suddenly an intense thunder boom cracked overhead with such intensity they felt it in their bodies. He noticed the fearful looks on his family's faces and calmly reassured them.

"We're safe in here. The storm won't last long, trust me. Let's just take a quick dekko at the crystal walls and when the storm passes we'll get out of here and go someplace a lot more friendly, alright?"

They nodded and switched on their flashlights. The Doctor led them deeper into the cave while the storm raged outside. They proceeded down a narrow shaft shining their flashlights all around them. They came out of the shaft into a large cavern and Rain's breath caught in her throat. All around them the walls were made of pure crystal. The light from their flashlights made them sparkle. The Doctor smiled and looked back at his family who was staring at the walls in awe.

"This is beautiful," Jenny said softly.

"Told ya. Now see, this is worth all the trouble we went through to get in here."

Rain walked over to the wall and ran her hand down the wall feeling the coolness of the crystal while the Doctor grabbed his glasses and put them back on. She walked by the wall staring up at it, admiring the smooth surface. Her foot hit something and she looked down to see a chunk of crystal at her feet. Smiling, she picked it up and stared at it for a moment before putting it in her pocket. She saw an opening a few feet ahead of her and walked towards it. She heard the sound of running water and shined her flashlight inside the opening. She saw a larger cavern and walked inside. The water was coming from an underground stream on the other side of the cavern and she walked towards it while she glanced around at the crystal walls. She heard her husband explaining something to Jenny in the other room and she looked back over her shoulder. She saw him through the opening. He was standing on the far side of the cavern with Jenny, pointing up at something while he talked to her. She hesitated a moment not wanting to go too far away and have him worry about her. She gazed at the stream and decided to take a look at it for a moment before heading back to his side. She walked up to it and bent down. She tentatively put her finger in the running water but her skin didn't burn so she figured there was no acid rain mixed in with it. Her eyes widened when she saw a little rainbow colored fish swim past her.

"Whoa," she murmured, smiling.

"Rain?"

Rain looked back and saw her husband looking around in confusion.

"In here, love," she said.

He turned and saw her through the hole.

"Oh! There you are, you sly little thing. You just went and snuck off without me, eh?" he teased.

Jenny stuck her head around the hole and shined her flashlight around.

"Come here, sweetheart, look at this little stream with the fish in it," Rain said, pointing.

Jenny smiled and walked into the room while the Doctor put his hands in his pockets and casually followed them. He paused by the doorway and shined his light at the walls while Jenny knelt down beside her mother and stared at a fish that was swimming by. The light from their flashlights made his rainbow scales shimmer and they smiled at each other.

The Doctor paused a moment and smiled at them while they pointed and talked to each other about the fish. Then suddenly, his keen senses told him something was wrong at the same time his sight picked up movement in the darkness above them. He shined his light upwards and his hearts nearly stopped when he saw a gargantuan tarantula crawling along the roof of the cavern. By his estimation it was at least the size of a BMW if not bigger. He noticed the creature pausing and looking down at his family who were still unaware of its presence. He was frozen in place, unsure what to do. He was scared if he alerted his family and they moved the spider would strike but he knew if they stayed there for very much longer it would strike anyway.

_Rain, Jenny,_ he thought to them.

They looked back at him and he held up his hand.

_Don't move, don't make a sound,_ he thought.

"Dad?"

"Shhhh!" the Doctor said, putting his finger to his lips.

Rain and Jenny glanced at each other, confused. Then suddenly Rain saw movement up above her. She glanced up and gasped.

_Rain, be calm, love,_ the Doctor thought. _I'll figure out a way to distract it, just stay there and don't move._

Jenny, who by now had seen it too, embraced her while they stared up at it. The Doctor glanced up and saw the spider was looking right at them and he swore he could see the hunger in its compound eyes. Images of the cocooned deer flashed through his mind and he knew he had to protect his family even if it meant he became the arachnid's dinner instead. He looked all around and noticed a large chunk of crystal on the ground nearby. He quickly scrambled over to it, picked it up and lobbed it at the spider. It struck its head and the spider turned to look directly at him.

"That's it, you furry nightmare, come get me instead," he muttered to himself.

They watched while the spider stared at him silently and then turned his attention back to Rain and Jenny. The spider looked from one to the other and the Doctor noticed with some interest that he was apparently trying to decide which group to go after. He looked around and noticed another chunk of crystal near him and lobbed that at the spider trying to get it to focus entirely on him. He breathed a sigh of relief when the spider finally decided on him and started scurrying towards him.

"Thete!"

"Run, Rain. Take Jenny and get out of here! I'll be alright, just go!"

He whipped out his sonic screwdriver when the spider dropped off the ceiling and landed on its legs. Its jaws twitched and its ruby eyes glowed in the light while he slowly came towards him. The Doctor glanced over and saw to his relief that Rain and Jenny were obeying and slowly making their way across the cavern.

_My love, be careful,_ Rain thought to him.

_I will. Just go back to the entrance and make your way back to the TARDIS if it's stopped raining. I'll join you shortly, I prom…_

His thought was cut off when he noticed another spider dropping down from the ceiling in front of his family, blocking the opening. His blood ran cold when they backed up and the spider began to follow them. He whipped out his screwdriver, adjusted it and used it on the spider. To his relief, the spider shook its head in pain and scrambled back up the wall to get away from it. He hurried to his wife and daughter who were now almost near the other opening. He was almost at their side when the spider suddenly dropped from the ceiling behind him, knocking him to the ground with its front leg. Both Rain and Jenny screamed while he tried to turn and get a clear shot with his screwdriver. He looked at the other spider and quickly used the screwdriver on it.

"Run!" he yelled when it dashed towards the wall.

Rain and Jenny ran past them but suddenly another spider dropped down in front of them. The Doctor yelled with rage and twisted his body around to get the first spider off of him. It quickly scurried back when he used the sonic and the Doctor got to his feet. His hearts stopped when he heard his wife's terrified scream and saw one of the spiders had knocked her down and was starting to cocoon her from the feet up.

"NO!" he screamed, running towards Jenny while he aimed his screwdriver at her.

He gasped when another spider dropped down between him and Jenny. He aimed his screwdriver at it and grunted when the first spider knocked him down again. Jenny picked up a couple of chunks of crystal and hurled it at his spider and the spider that was cocooning her mother. The Doctor glanced over and saw his wife was covered up to her nose, her terrified eyes pleading for rescue. He heard another scream and saw Jenny being herded back towards the back opening by two of the spiders. Gritting his teeth he aimed the sonic at his spider and scrambled out from under him when he scurried back. Keeping the sonic on, he waved it at the other spiders making the scurry away from Jenny. Jenny quickly ran to his side while he turned his attention to the spider who now had cocooned Rain completely and was preparing to bite her.

"Oh no you don't!" the Doctor snarled as he aimed the sonic at it.

The spider shook its head and quickly backed away from the cocoon.

_My love, hold on, I'll free you,_ he thought to her.

_No, Thete, there's too many. Save yourself and Jenny,_ she thought back. _If they take me, maybe they'll leave you alone._

_No, I'd rather die than see you become their meal. I'm gonna get you outta this, just hold…_

He gasped when he heard Jenny scream followed by his wife's anguished scream in his head. He turned and saw a spider had her and was beginning to wrap her up. He looked around and picked up a crystal shard that was lying nearby. With a howl of rage, he lunged forward and plunged it into the spiders's right eye. The spider shook his head around and backed away, this time through the opening. The Doctor glanced down and saw that he had managed to cocoon Jenny up to her knees.

"Dad!" she yelled.

"It's alright, Angel. I'm here. I'll free you both, I prom…"

Jenny screamed when one of the spiders barreled into his back with its body. The Doctor was propelled forward and there was a crunch as his face connected with the wall and his glasses shattered on impact. Jenny and Rain screamed his name, verbally and mentally, while he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

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The Doctor's brow furrowed while he slowly regained consciousness. He felt something warm and wet on his forehead. He slowly opened one eye and noticed a shape over him. For one moment, he thought he was going to become the spider's dinner but then a female voice spoke to him.

"There you are, you're awake at last," she said, taking the wet flannel away from his forehead.

The Doctor frowned.

"You're…the princess…"he muttered.

"Yes, my huntsman was out hunting after the rain and heard your screams. He found the spiders getting ready to eat you and saved you."

The Doctor's eyes snapped open and he searched for the minds of his wife and daughter. His blood ran cold when he couldn't sense them.

_My loves,_ he frantically thought, _where are you? Answer me!_

His breath quickened when he didn't get an answer. He looked at Kida who was giving him a sympathetic look.

"My wife and daughter, where are they?" he said, trying to get up.

Kida put a hand on his chest.

"It's too late. The huntsman found them dead beside you."

The Doctor's face drained of all color.

"No, you're lying to me. They're alive!" he said.

"No, they're both dead. I'm sorry."

"Then show me their bodies. Let me see them, hold them," he said frantically.

"The huntsman couldn't get them out. He had enough time to get you but the spiders came back and took them away into the caves."

"No, you're lying. Where are they? What have you done with them?"

"I've done nothing, Doctor. He couldn't get them away from the spiders. He barely got you away from there before they killed you."

"Then he should have left me there with them," he said. "Because they were my life, my whole universe."

Frantically, he searched for their minds, desperate to make contact with them, refusing to believe that the two people he loved above all others were dead and lost to him. He could faintly feel his other family's minds and knew they were quite a considerable distance away somewhere in time and space. His hearts sank dreading the moment he would have to tell them what happened and how he had failed to protect them. He tried once more to reach them, saying a silent prayer to the universe to be merciful just this once and let them still be alive. But there was no answer from either one. His hearts fell to the floor as the image of the dead exsanguinated deer came to the fore of his thoughts and his eyes closed in utter anguish while his head lowered in despair and his body shook with silent sobs.

"It can't be true. It just can't be," he said in a barely audible whisper.

Kida put a hand on his cheek but he jerked his head away and glared at her silently.

"I want to go back to the cave," he growled at her.

"Why?"

"Because I want absolute concrete proof that they're dead!" he snarled at her. "I want my wife and daughter's bodies in my arms. I want to stare at their faces and see their dead eyes and then I will believe that they are lost to me. I want them back so I can give them both a proper Gallifreyan cremation! I will not let the two people I love more than anything in all of creation spend eternity cocooned in a cave. I want the huntsman to come with me or I'll go myself and find them but either way I'm not leaving this planet without them!"

She gasped when he rose from the bed and swayed unsteadily on his feet for a moment before getting his equilibrium.

"But it's dangerous going back down there," she protested. "You might be killed."

He rounded on her.

"Do I look like I care about dying at the moment?" he snarled. "If I have to rip every single leg off those spiders' bodies to get to my beloveds than I'll willingly do it and if they kill me, then so be it. Right now, I'd rather be with my loved ones in whatever passes for the hereafter than live the rest of my lives without them. Now get out of my way because I' m not in the mood for you or your false sympathy!"

Kida glared at him when he turned back around and stomped out of the room.

"I can already tell this is gonna be a struggle," she muttered as she followed him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Doctor rode back towards the caves by himself after finding no one to help him. The llama creatures, which he learned were called Faruki, were swift which was good since he wanted to get back to the caves as quick as he could just in case they were alive and waiting for him.

He still held out a dim hope that they were alive. He couldn't believe they could be dead. Not after all that Imiko had done for them. To make them both Time Ladies and give them multiple regenerations so they could be with him for the centuries to come and they both die without even using one. If that was the case, why give them the blessing at all? Why allow them to be with him completely if they died after only a short time together? The Doctor swallowed hard thinking over what he should have done. The spider on the tree. Why did he keep on going after they saw it? Why didn't he run back to the TARDIS after seeing the web or feeling the raindrops? They would have gotten burned by the rain on the way back to the TARDIS but getting a little bit burned was better than dying. He squeezed his eyes shut when guilt flooded his mind. His wife and daughter had trusted him completely and he had let them down. He remembered telling Rain that he would never let any harm come to her, would protect her with every breath in his body and she believed it without a moment's hesitation. He was a fool to think that things would be different this time. That the universe would just let him live out his lifespan with his loving family by his side. His brother and everyone else who told him that this time things would be different, that for once the universe would be on his side and grant him the peace and joy he had always wanted, he was just as big a fool for believing that as they were for believing that things had changed.

As he headed towards the woods, the Doctor saw the TARDIS where he had left it. He cursed silently. He should have insisted on taking his own TARDIS when they came so he could just get into it and leave everyone behind. He had no desire to see the rest of his family now, not when something could happen to them too. Family life was apparently a part of Alan's future but not his. He was destined to roam the universe alone, never knowing true love or joy, only getting temporary fixes from companions who would also leave him in the end. For the first time since Rain had come into his life, he felt the darkness creeping back into his mind and this time he didn't care if it did consume him.

He hurried on into the forest and as he did, the small spark of hope that stubbornly refused to go out began to speak to him telling him that they could be unconscious somewhere in the cave, that the spiders might not have drained them right away, only put them somewhere for later. He reasoned that they probably knocked them out or paralyzed their victims in some way so they couldn't get free. It was a dim, desperate hope but he clung to it like a life preserver in a storm refusing to face the horrifying alternative.

He reached the cave and the Doctor jumped down off the beast and sprinted into the cave while he pulled his flashlight from his pocket. He gave no thought to any spiders around him; all he wanted was to see the truth, to see if they were alive or dead. He sprinted down the shaft, through the cavern and into the larger cavern. He paused and swallowed hard when he didn't see anything except the stream that they had looked at earlier and the shattered remains of his glasses near the wall. He looked around for a moment and then ran deeper into the cave in search of his family.

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Kida pushed aside the stone door and walked through the secret passageway down to the underground tunnels where her pets lived. She knew the Doctor was on his way to find his family and she needed to talk to the queen.

She hurried down a long shaft and through an underground passageway, holding a flaming torch out in front of her. After twenty minutes she finally reached the inner sanctum of the spider's lair. She saw smaller spiders scurrying two and fro but she took no notice of them and they didn't notice her either. She headed down another passageway until she reached their equivalent of a larder. Here were the cocooned remains of their victims, both animal and humanoid. She used the torch to look around. Some of the remains had been here for quite a while, exsanguinated and decaying but there were others who had been put into hibernation, kept in storage until the spiders were ready to feast on their blood. Those who were in hibernation were kept that way because the spiders injected a mild toxin into their bloodstream that kept them alive but unconscious and unmoving with all visible signs of life hidden to the naked eye. The toxin kept the heartbeats slowed down so that they beat only once per hour in order to keep them from suffocating in the cocoon prisons which was why she was going to go through with this plan of hers. She had to convince the Doctor that his family was truly dead so he would give up all hope of being reunited with them.

As she searched for their cocoons, she felt someone behind her and saw the spider queen, Sarina. Unlike the others, she was slightly larger because of her royal status. Her ruby eyes shone by the light of the torch as she came forward and began to speak with her telepathically.

_Why are you here?_ Sarina thought.

_I need the two you captured. The two women. Are they still alive?_ She thought back.

_Yes._

_Then let me have them for the moment. I must convince their husband and father that they are dead. Once he is convinced, I will return them to you._

_They are ours. They are our meals now._

_I know that, but I want their male for myself. He doesn't believe his females are dead and I want him to think that they are so he'll forget about them. He is searching the caves for them. I want you to take them and put them where he can find them. Then after he's believed that they are dead you can have them back._

_Why can't we have him as well?_

_Because he is mine, _Kida thought angrily_. I am giving you his two females, don't get greedy or I'll deny you all of them._

The spider drew near to her.

_You cannot deny us anything, little mammal. We are many and you are only one. We can be on you within seconds and you would join the others here in hibernation until we fed on you. Remember that, princess._

Kida seethed inwardly but said nothing. She needed her and her subject's cooperation and if it meant putting up with the spider queen's threats then she would do it.

_Just do as I ask and put the females somewhere where the male will find them and then you will stay back. You will not attack him, is that understood?_

_Yes._

_Good, now obey._

The spider queen summoned two of her subjects and Kida watched while they moved over to the far wall and pulled down two cocoons from the webbed up wall. They held them under their bodies with two of their legs while they used the others to walk out of the larder. The queen looked at Kida.

_They will be put where the male will find them,_ she thought to her.

_Good. Then hurry and do it so he can find them._

She watched as the spiders moved out of the larder and then she went back up the way she came to await the return of the Doctor and the huntsman.

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Rain felt her blood turn to ice. She was immobile in her cocoon but she could hear what was going on even if she couldn't speak or do anything else. They were close enough that she had managed to pick up on the telepathic conversation between Kida and the spider queen and her heart sank when she heard what they were planning to do. She and Jenny were going to be laid out in her husband's path and both of them would lay there helpless while he grieved over them. She was sure she wouldn't be able to communicate with him to tell him she was alive but she was going to try her best before something happened to them or to him. She felt the spiders taking her down from the wall and the fear rose within her as she dreaded what she would hear when her beloved found their seemingly dead bodies.

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The Doctor paused to get his bearings. He had been going down a dark passageway. The only light was coming from his flashlight. The crystal walls on either side of him helped make the light brighter and made it easier to see but he still shone his light up to the ceiling on occasion just in case spiders were about. He knew he had to stay alive long enough to reach his family. That hope was the one thing that was keeping him going right now.

He reached the end of the passageway and entered another large cavern. And there in the back of it he saw two human-sized cocoons. His throat went dry when he didn't see or hear any movement.

_Rain! Jenny!_ He thought as he ran to them.

He fell to his knees before he began to pull the webbing off the first body's face. He let out a strangled cry when he saw his wife's face and pulled harder.

_My love, it's me, it's Thete. Are you alright?_ He thought as he tore the webbing off her face.

He swallowed hard when there was no response. He frantically pulled at the webbing getting it away from their heads. Once both of their heads were free of the webbing, the Doctor put his fingers against Rain's neck feeling for a pulse. His hearts stopped when he couldn't detect any. He turned her head and his eyes misted over when he saw a puncture wound on the side of her throat. Shaking his head in disbelief, he lowered his face to hers and gently kissed her eyelids while he stroked her unresponsive mind. Then, he forced his leaden body to move to his daughter and checked her. He stroked her hair and put his hand on her cheek while he stared down at her, shattered and broken.

_Forgive me, my Angels, I failed you both,_ he thought.

Numbly, he forced himself to move back to his wife. He tore open the cocoon with his hands and freed Rain from her prison. As he did it, he touched her gently while he quietly sent love into her unresponsive mind. Once he was done, he pulled the cocoon apart and carefully lifted her out. He held her in his arms mentally asking her for forgiveness as a single tear tracked down his face.

_I won't let you stay here, my love,_ he thought to her. _I'll take you back with me and give you and Jenny a proper funeral and cremation so you can be at rest. Please forgive me, Latara. I tried to free you both. I tried with all I had but I wasn't fast enough. I will never forgive myself for this. I only hope your death was quick and painless._

He stared down at her with quiet devotion and then gently laid her down on the ground beside the webbing before he moved to Jenny's cocoon.

While he was doing this, Rain was screaming inside her mind, willing her husband to hear her but something was blocking her from communicating with him. She couldn't speak, no matter how hard she tried to move her mouth or open her eyes or even move a finger. She screamed and screamed at him in her mind while she listened to him telling her he would never forgive himself for their supposed deaths. What really terrified her was when he told her he was going to cremate her and Jenny. Her beloved husband was unknowingly going to become her and her daughter's executioner and burn them both alive without having the slightest idea that they were both conscious and still with him. She couldn't feel her daughter's mind but she assumed she was probably screaming at him also while he held her and begged her forgiveness for failing her. Her hearts shattered into a million pieces hearing the despair in his voice and she frantically tried to think of something, anything she could do to get his attention and communicate with him.

She felt him put his arm around her and lift her from the floor and then he paused and did the same with his daughter. She cried inside her mind when she felt him gently put her head against her shoulder and give her a tender kiss. She could feel him sending love into her mind and stroking it the way he did when he made love to her and she nearly went mad screaming back at his mind that she was alive. She felt him walk away holding her close to him. She heard his ragged breathing and listened to the double pulse coming from his jugular vein. His hands were so strong and protective and she was glad that at least he was taking her and their daughter away from this horrible place even if he was going to kill them when he set fire to their bodies. She only hoped if that happened, he would never learn the truth about them being alive because she knew it would utterly destroy him. While he walked, she tried everything she could think of to clue him in to what was going on.

"Oh God, Brother," she heard him whisper. "I hope you can forgive me for this."

Rain gasped in her mind. Her brother! Could she reach them somehow and tell them to come and help? She could feel them very dimly in her mind which meant they were very far away, possibly backwards or forwards in time. She didn't know if she could reach them since she couldn't speak to her husband who was right beside her but she had to try. She concentrated and pulled her brother's mind to the forefront of her consciousness.

_Bro, it's me, Rain. Help us! A large spider attacked us and I've been paralyzed along with Jenny and the Doctor's been tricked into thinking we're dead! Please come here and help us before he burns us alive on a funeral pyre!_

She paused but she couldn't hear any answer or any acknowledgement that he heard her. She tried again but there was still no response. Frustrated, she tried to think of something else refusing to believe that all hope was lost.

_If only my husband will wait and perhaps the venom the spider injected us with will wear off,_ she thought to herself_. But how can I make him wait since I'm sure he'll want to get the cremation over and done with. _

Then she got another idea. Perhaps the TARDIS would be able to hear her when no one else could. The ship was powerful and she was sure it could detect even the slightest sign of life from her and her daughter. She reached out to the TARDIS.

_TARDIS, please help me. The Doctor thinks Jenny and I are dead. Please hear me and tell him we aren't. Please before he kills us for real._

For a moment there was no response and then she heard…

_My beloved Rain, I have heard you and I will tell the Doctor that you and Jenny live._

Rain cried out with relief knowing that at last someone was going to get through to her husband and stop him before he did something he would regret.

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The Doctor reached the mouth of the cave and stepped outside with his wife and daughter in each of his arms. He began to make his way to the TARDIS.

_Doctor._

The Doctor stopped short. He had heard the TARDIS calling his name. He concentrated on his ship.

_Yes?_ He thought to her.

_My beloved, your wife and daughter live. Do not hurt them._

The Doctor's eyes widened.

_What? How? They have no pulse, no breath, no brain functions._

_I don't know how to explain it, my beloved, but Rain contacted me and told me to tell you not to kill her and Jenny because they are still alive. _

The Doctor looked at his wife desperately searching for any sign of life. He knelt down, laid her gently on the ground and cupped her cheeks.

"My love, if you can hear me, speak to me in my mind," he implored. "Let me hear you. Please, Latara, speak to me."

He waited but he couldn't hear anything.

_Beloved, she's trying but something is preventing you from hearing her,_ the TARDIS thought to him.

_Can you provide a link to her mind so I can hear her?_ He thought to her.

_I will try. Hold on._

There was a moment's silence and then the Doctor heard something he thought he would never hear again.

_Thete? _

_Latara! Yes, I'm here!_

_You can hear me! Oh love, I've been trying to reach you,_ she thought happily_. I'm alive. We're both alive. Please don't burn us. _

_No, I won't, not now. Oh God, my love, it feels so good hearing your voice again. _

_Thete, she's behind it. The princess. She did this to get us out of the way. Somehow she can communicate with the spiders. I heard them speaking telepathically. She wanted you to find us so you'd think we were dead and then she would have you._

The Doctor seethed inwardly at that. He had a feeling she was behind it and hearing the truth from his wife made him angry beyond belief. The two people he loved more than anything had almost been lost to him because of her. He vowed he would stop her no matter what it took. He laid his wife and daughter down and kissed their cheeks.

"I'm so glad you got through to me, my Latara," he said to her. "I will find a way to cure you both, I swear it."

He picked them both up and slowly made his way through the woods towards the TARDIS.

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Sarina was resting in her den when suddenly two of her subjects came into the room.

_What is it?_ She thought.

_The food is gone, _they thought to her._ The females are gone._

_What?_

Sarina got up and quickly followed them to the cavern where they had left Rain and Jenny. Reaching it, she paused and saw the remains of the cocoons.

_We've been betrayed,_ she thought to them. _Gather up everyone you can find and find them before they escape. I will talk to the princess myself._

The spiders scurried away while Sarina called for Kida to come to her.

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The Doctor stopped on the outskirts of the forest when he noticed something. He had sensed his wife stirring in his mind. He laid them down and began to stroke her cheek. He smiled when he noticed her brow furrowing and her eyes moving underneath their lids. He smiled. He had forgotten about their physiology and their ability to get rid of toxins faster than normal humans. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that meant he would have detected signs of life from them long before he put them on their funeral pyres.

_Thete?_

The Doctor smiled when she heard Rain's voice in his mind without the assistance of the TARDIS. It was faint but he could hear her clearly.

_I'm here,_ he thought.

_I'm trying to wake up but my eyes won't open,_ she thought as her brow furrowed.

_Just relax, Rain. I'll look after you and Jenny until you recover. We're almost to the TARDIS now and…_

_Dad?_

He paused and grinned when he heard his daughter's voice in his mind.

_I'm here, Angel, nice to have you back._

_I'm trying to wake up too, I can hear mum now._

_I can hear you too, sweetheart, I'm so glad you're alright._

_I'm glad you're alright too, mum. _

_You two hold on and we'll be in the TARDIS in a min…_

He trailed off when he heard a sound behind him. He turned to see several spiders coming through the woods towards them. The Doctor quickly stepped in front of his loved ones and whipped out his sonic screwdriver. He noticed one of them was larger than the others and guessed that it was the queen. He looked back at his wife and daughter.

_Just relax, my loves, I'll have this sorted out in a minute,_ he thought to them.

_You can speak with others using your mind?_

The Doctor turned his head when he heard someone else's voice inside his mind. He noticed the largest spider coming forward.

_Did you speak to me?_ He thought to her.

_Yes._

_Are you the queen of the spiders?_

_Yes. _

_My name is the Doctor. I request a temporary hold on the attack so that I may speak to you personally._

_You may speak._

_Thank you,_ the Doctor thought. _I want to beg you to let my family go and let us go in peace._

_Why should we do that?_

_Because I love them and if you insist on attacking them, be warned that I will fight with every ounce of strength in my body to stop you._

_You are nothing but a mere human. You cannot hope to stand against us._

_On the contrary, I'm not a human and I'm more than a match for you and your subjects, Queenie. I was caught unawares once but it won't happen again and by the way…you owe me a pair of glasses. _

_These females were promised to us by Princess Kida. They are ours._

_No, they aren't because I say they're not and my word counts more than a spoiled brat of a princess's does. Just what do you get out of this arrangement anyway besides all you can eat? I mean, has to be a catch, right? What do you have to do to get these victims?_

_I provide Kida and her castle with protection. _

_And how exactly did you come to be on this planet in the first place? Spiders aren't native here._

_Kida's ancestors brought us here from the Callium Galaxy long ago so our ancestors could provide protection. _

_Protection from who? I thought Tarantan was a peaceful planet. Who do you need protection from?_

_Kida's ancestors began to attack the planets nearby so when the retaliated, they brought our ancestors here to protect the castle and eat any of the captured invaders. _

_I see, and is the planet still at war with the rest of the planets?_

_No, peace was finally achieved about a century ago._

_So, you're basically just stuck here guarding a castle that doesn't need guarding and eating helpless men and women because…Kida likes being in control of you lot? Makes her feel powerful having a spider army?_

_Perhaps. Her parents do not deal with us. They don't like us. She's the only one that talks with us. We communicate telepathically with her._

_Parents? Where are her parents and why aren't they keeping an eye on their bratty little kid?_

_Her parents are currently off planet attending an interplanetary conference._

_I see, so when the parent's away the brat will play, is that it? Well, I'm sorry; Queenie, but you aren't getting my family. I don't care if she did promise them to ya. They're with me and I will rip you limb from limb if you put one spindly leg on them. _

_They were promised to us._

_Well, tough, she doesn't speak for me or my family and I say you're not getting them. Now, you wanna battle me, I'll be more than happy to oblige you but I warn ya, I'm nothing to sneeze at…if you lot can sneeze. But I'm warning you; don't mess with me and the ones I love because I will make all of you suffer._

_Brother?_

The Doctor frowned when he suddenly heard Alan's faint voice in his head.

_Brother, are you alright?_

He reached out to him.

_Yes, I'm fine._

_Well, Rain just contacted me and told me what's been happening. Do you need our help?_

He glanced at his wife and saw her eyes were now half open. He looked over at the spider.

_I don't want to disturb your holiday, _the Doctor thought to him.

_Sod that. I'd rather cut our holiday short and help you than have my family end up eaten by giant spiders. So do you need our help?_

_Yes. Please come and look after Rain and Jenny and help protect them._

_We're on our way. We'll lock onto your TARDIS. Just keep the spiders occupied until we can get there._

_Alright, I'll be waiting. _

He turned his attention back to the queen.

_Well, well, seems that the rest of my family is now coming to help me out which means more trouble for you, I'm afraid, _he thought to her.

_You cannot defeat us. You and your family and friends are ours. _

_Oh I wouldn't be sure of that._

He grinned when he heard the TARDIS and glanced over his shoulder to see it materializing.

_In fact, here comes my backup right now,_ he thought to her.

The door opened and Alan stepped out with the others.

"Doctor?" Alan called.

"Over here!" he yelled back.

He turned his head and kept watch on the spiders while Alan and the others ran up.

"Oh God," Rose said as she and the other women knelt beside Rain and Jenny.

Alan walked up to his brother and stood beside him.

"Apparently, the whole holiday went a bit sour," he said to him.

"Yup, just a bit."

Alan glanced behind him and saw the others were picking up Rain and Jenny and carrying them back to the TARDIS. The queen saw it too and started after them. Both brothers whipped out their sonic screwdrivers and aimed them at her head.

"I wouldn't go after them if I were you," Alan growled at her.

_We will not be denied our food. You will die along with the others for stealing what's ours,_ she thought to them.

Both brothers tensed their bodies ready to fight her and her subjects as they began to move towards them. The Doctor glanced back and saw that their sisters had gotten Rain and Jenny into the TARDIS and he breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were safe. He turned his head back around and prepared to fight to the death with his brother. The spiders began to advance towards them.

"Hell of a spot to have a holiday, Brother," Alan said.

"Yeah. Well, the spiders were a bit of a surprise," the Doctor replied.

They prepared to fight back while the queen rushed towards them.

Suddenly to their shock, she stopped. The brothers glanced at each other and then watched, confused, while the queen turned back and her and her subjects disappeared back into the woods.

"What'd you do?" Alan asked him.

"I didn't do anything," the Doctor said, shrugging.

"Well, why'd they suddenly turn tail and run?"

"Not sure but the princess is able to communicate telepathically with them. Maybe she summoned them," the Doctor speculated.

"Unless this is a bluff and they're circling around so they can get behind us."

"Well in that case we better get back to the TARDIS where we'll be safe," the Doctor said.

Alan nodded and followed him into the TARDIS.

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A relived smile spread over the Doctor's face when he walked into his med bay and saw his wife and daughter both lying in bed staring at him quietly while they were surrounded by their sisters.

"They still can't speak yet," Donna said. "But they have their eyes open."

He knelt down beside them and gazed at them while they smiled back.

_You just had to spoil my heroic moment and call for our brother, didn't you, Latara?_ The Doctor thought to her.

She raised her eyebrow.

_I'm sorry I spoiled your heroic moment but I figured Bro could help. _

_Yeah, well the spiders just turned and ran away from us back to the caves so neither one of us got to be heroic._

_Why, Dad?_ Jenny thought.

_Dunno, but I have a feeling little miss bratty butt called them back. Probably wondering what's taking them so long or maybe she discovered you weren't there anymore._

"Is there anything you want us to do?" Mingxia asked.

"Just keep an eye on them for me while I go sort out the princess," he said to them. "It shouldn't take them too long to snap out of this but I'd really like you lot to be here with them when they fully recover. Just in case."

They nodded. He shot them an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry you got called back from wherever it is you were," he said.

"It's alright, we were just relaxing on a beach on Antillies Minor," Awinita said. "Actually, Bro was about to come and check on you anyway because he felt your mind go out for awhile and then he couldn't feel Rain and Jen for the longest time. He wondered if something was wrong but then you all came back in and he figured you were doing something private between each other."

"Until Rain got a hold of us and confirmed his suspicions," Rose said. "Then he got back here just as quickly as he could which I guess is a good thing since you were about to become those spiders' dinner."

"Nah, I had everything under control. Actually, I found out some interesting things about them."

"Such as?" Donna said.

He told them what he had learned.

"So this woman has control of these huge spiders?" Awinita said. "Isn't that a bit Harry Potterish? The gigantic spiders with their enormous spider leader that talks to people?"]

The Doctor shrugged.

"Wouldn't be the first gigantic spider I've come up against," he said.

He gave Donna a pointed look and she nodded.

"You mean that Racnoss thing?" Rose said.

He nodded.

"And Metabilis Three, I encountered them there as well," he said.

"So, are we gonna drown them as well?" Donna asked.

"You got a hose or a shovel so we can divert a river into the cave?" the Doctor asked her.

"Just a suggestion," Donna shrugged.

Alan entered the room.

"So, Brother, what do you wanna do?" he asked him.

"We have to do something about the princess so she doesn't do this to any more innocent people," the Doctor said.

"What do you have in mind?"

He stared at his brother and then a grin spread over his face.

"Oh, I think I just got a brilliant idea, Te'lesau," he said.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I made some changes to chapters three and four. I took out the character of Sirrus and combined both chapters into one chapter. So this is the new chapter four.

Chapter Four

Before they got to work, the brothers quickly let down the ship's defenses, dematerialized and landed over the spare TARDIS, putting her back in the storage room. Once that was done, they powered down and walked off to work on the next phase of their plan.

Twenty minutes after they did that, Rain and Jenny began to speak again and move. The others were relieved to see that they were recovering with no adverse side effects. They helped them to sit upright in the bed and Mingxia went to make them some tea while they talked.

On the way there, Mingxia contacted her brothers and told them the news.

_Brilliant,_ the Doctor thought to her. _I'm glad it's wearing off. In another half hour or so, they should be fully recovered._

_I hope so. Where are you guys?_ She thought back.

_We're in the lab working on a little project together._

_What kind of project?_

_Well, it's…a shrink ray of sorts. _

Mingxia frowned while she filled the kettle up.

_Shrink ray? _

_Yes. It's a variation on the Master's tissue compression eliminator that he used to shrink his victims into doll-sized people and kill them. Same concept except this won't kill, merely shrink. We're working on a couple of things now so we can fight the spiders._

She finished putting the kettle on the burner and went to see for herself what this shrink ray looked like. She went down a couple of corridors until she got to the lab. She walked inside and saw the brothers sitting at a large metal table. Alan was working on what looked like a sonic screwdriver. The Doctor was assembling a metal sphere. The Doctor smiled at her when she walked up.

"Hello, my curious little sister," he said.

Mingxia pointed to the sphere.

"This is what you're talking about? That tissue compression thing?"

"Well…this…is a tissue compression eliminator but it works like a bomb. You press a button on top, throw it and run and the beam bursts out and shrinks everything within a thirty foot radius. This will be used deep in the cave at the heart of the lair. What my brother is working on is something like the Master used. It's like a screwdriver but it works on a single person or thing shrinking them down. That'll be used on individual spiders along the way. At the very least, we want to get the queen and then as many of her followers as possible and shrink them permanently so they aren't a threat to anyone. That's why I'm making these bombs to throw inside the cave."

"And then the princess can't feed people to them, right?"

"Yes, but we're dealing with her as well," Alan said. "One will take care of the princess, the other will take care of the spiders and together we're hoping to stop her once and for all."

"Too bad you don't know where her parents went to, you could give them a call and tell them to come back and give their kid a spanking."

The brothers chuckled.

"I don't know if that'll do any good, Te'lesu," Alan said."I have a feeling this has been going on for quite some time and if it has, then the parents probably either don't know or don't care. At any rate, they've let her run rampant and do whatever she wants and people have suffered for it, my sister and niece included."

She glanced up when the TARDIS amplified the sound of the kettle whistling.

"See you later, I gotta go get that. Making tea for Rain and Jenny."

They nodded and Mingxia kissed their cheeks before leaving them to their work.

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_What do you want?_ Kida thought when she finally reached the queen's den.

Sarina came forward and looked down at her with her huge ruby eyes. Kida looked back, completely unafraid.

_I repeat, spider queen, what do you want?_ She thought angrily.

_Where are they?_

_Where are who?_

_The females. The male has taken them. Where are they?_

Kida cursed under her breath.

"I was afraid of this," she muttered to herself.

_Well? Where are they? They belong to us._

_The male has them, just as you thought._

_They are ours._

_Yes, yes, I know! I'll get them back! Just quit bothering me about it. I'll find him and make him give them back to you! He must be in his little box thing. I'll go there at once and you'll soon have your food back._

_We better because we had a deal, princess,_ Sarina thought. _You would do well to remember not to cross me and my subjects because you could be the one my children feed on next._

Kida glared at her for a moment in an angry silence before she turned and stomped away towards the front of the cave.

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The brothers, having finished their work, went and sat with Rain and Jenny for a moment. By the time they were through, both women were completely cured and they hugged them both tightly. The Doctor sighed contentedly as he stroked his wife's back.

"Please be careful," she whispered to him.

"I will, I promise," he replied.

Jenny finished hugging Alan. The Doctor held open an arm and he embraced her along with his wife.

"So, this tissue compression thing," Rose said while she stood behind her husband. "If this is what the Master uses, is that what he used to shrink you down to elf size?"

The Doctor shook his head.

"No, that time he suspended my capacity to regenerate and aged me to 900 years using Lazarus's technology. If it had been the tissue compression eliminator, I would have looked the same, only doll sized."

"And more than likely it would have killed you," Alan said, "since that's what it did to the majority of the people he used it on."

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes and as old as I was at the time, I know I wouldn't have survived if he had decided to use his favorite toy. But this one won't kill; only shrink the spiders down to a small enough size that the only things they would threaten would be insects."

"And that's what these bomb things are?" Donna said, pointing to a tiny tote bag at his feet.

"Yes, these have a much wider range than the screwdriver. Hopefully that'll be enough to take care of the whole brood."

"And the princess," Awinita said. "Are you gonna shrink her down too?"

The brothers grinned at each other.

"Hey, it might cure her brattiness if everyone else was 50 times bigger than she was and could possibly step on her," Alan said.

"We'll think about it," the Doctor said, winking. "But for now, we better get out there and put our plan into action. In the meantime, you lot stay in here, safe and sound, and wait for us. We won't be too long, I hope."

He gave his wife and daughter one more tight hug and kissed their cheeks. They let go and did the same to Alan.

"Wish us luck," he said.

"Good luck," everyone said.

The brothers looked at each other, grabbed the tote and they headed towards the front door. Once they reached it, they glanced out and when no one was around, they wished each other luck and hurried off to put their plan in motion.

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Kida was fuming. She walked through the woods wanting nothing more than to find the Doctor and throttle him.

"I shoulda known he'd take his precious wife and daughter out of the caves. Now I gotta go force him to give them back so the queen can leave me alone," she muttered.

She saw the TARDIS and stomped up to it. She pounded on the door as hard as she could.

"OPEN UP, DOCTOR! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" she bellowed. "OPEN THE DOOR UP NOW OR I'LL GET MY GUARDS TO KICK THE DOOR IN AND THEN YOU'LL BE SORRY!"

"I'm over here."

Kida turned her head and saw her future consort leaning against a nearby tree.

"Where are they?" Kida growled as she stomped towards him.

"Safe in my TARDIS where you can't get to them," he said.

"Give them to me!"

"No, they are my wife and daughter and I want to give them a proper funeral," he said, moving towards her. "I will do whatever you want. I will give myself to you but you give me them in return."

That gave Kida pause.

"You'll do whatever I want?" she said.

"I will give myself to you willingly. All I ask is for my wife and daughter's bodies in return."

Kida considered that. She and Sarina had a deal but she was just a stupid spider and as long as she found her two victims to feed on, what did it matter who they were. The thought of the Doctor being her willing consort filled her with glee and she nodded.

"Alright, you may have them. In return, you stay with me forever and be my consort."

"Done."

Kida could hardly contain her excitement. This was just too good to be true. One of the handsomest men she had ever seen in her life and he was all hers. She held out her hand.

"Then come, my consort. Come with me to my bedroom," she said as demurely as she could.

He took her hand and she turned. While she led him to the castle, she failed to see the evil grin on his face.

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Meanwhile, his brother was nearing the cave, tote bag strap slung across his chest and the tissue compressor screwdriver at the ready. His eyes darted left and right while his ears listened for the slightest hint of movement. He paused when he heard something off to his left and saw a spider moving towards him through the trees. He could tell it wasn't the queen by its size but he turned and faced it.

"Time for a little test," he muttered.

He waited till the spider was almost to him before he raised the screwdriver and turned it on. There was a terrified scream in his mind while the spider slowly shrank. He kept the screwdriver on, shrinking it down until it was only a couple of inches long. He turned off the screwdriver and smirked while he watched the spider scurrying about in confusion before it finally turned and went up over a log back into the forest. Whistling, he turned and headed towards the entrance to the cave.

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Kida led her consort up the stairs to her room, getting more and more excited with each step she took. She couldn't believe her luck. All she had to do was allow him the corpses of his family and he would let her be with him. She wondered why she had put up such a fuss in the first place. She looked back at him and noticed he was looking down at the steps while he walked up with her. She turned her head and snorted softly figuring he was probably still thinking of them and wishing they were alive. Well, she'd soon make him forget all about them.

They reached her bedroom door and she opened it up. She looked back at him and noticed he had a defeated look on his face.

"Don't worry, Doctor, I'll be just as good a lover as your wife."

His expression didn't change and Kida shrugged. She led him inside and shut the door quietly behind him.

"Now, my consort, lie there on the bed and…"

She grunted when he grabbed her roughly and jerked her around.

"I got a better idea, babe! Let's just get naked and do it right here against the door!" he said in a deep, throaty voice.

Kida stared at him, shocked at the sudden change in his demeanor. The defeated look he had a moment before had been replaced by smoldering bedroom eyes.

"Um…here?" she said hesitantly.

"Yeah, right here! I don't want to wait to get to the bed, not when I have a tasty little dish like you in front of me. So let's just strip and get right to the boinking!"

Kida was speechless.

"Well, what's wrong, babe? I thought you wanted to shag this gorgeous hunk of man meat. You suddenly getting' cold feet or somethin'?"

"I'm just kinda surprised that you're suddenly so eager to do this," she said, staring at him in confusion.

"Well, you know, my wife and daughter are dead and that's a shame. But hey, whatcha gonna do, gotta get on with life, right? So we gonna stand here and chat all night or are we gonna get to it? Cause you know, the door behind me ain't the only massively hard piece of wood in this room now."

Kida stared at him, suddenly uneasy about all this.

"Is…this the way you and your wife had sex?"

"Are you kidding? My wife was a complete sexual maniac! I mean, tie me up, tie me down, tie me sideways, she just couldn't get enough of ropes and handcuffs and belts. The moment she saw anything that could restrain her, the old lady was hornier than the 76 trombone parade in the Music Man movie. And whips…oh-ho-ho-ho, she had a special fondness for a whipping. She just loved to lay sprawled out on her stomach, tied to the bed while I straddled her and beat her like a rented mule. So I'll tell you right now, that's the kind of kinkiness I expect outta ya because if you're not bleeding profusely from every part of your body, I won't be a satisfied man! Nope, can't have an orgasm 'til my consort is half dead from blood loss. So, let's get to it! You got any rope handy?"

Kida stared at him with wide eyes when he saw the maniacal look on his face.

"Um, no…I, I don't," she stammered.

"Bollocks, woman, you shoulda said something while we were coming up here! You mean I gotta try to keep my hard-on goin' while I go find some rope in this drafty stone fortress you call home? What kind of consort are ya? You should know that I'm a total sex freak and I like my women stripped and whipped! But ya know what, I'll stay here and wank off while you go look for that rope, kay?"

Kida nodded slowly. She reached behind her, flung open the door and ran out while Alan giggled hysterically.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The Doctor looked around him while he slowly made his way through the cave. He hadn't seen any spiders yet but he had his tissue compressor screwdriver at the ready while he used his flashlight to look at every nook and cranny. His keen senses were attuned to every little movement this time and he kept an extra close eye on the ceiling. He entered the cavern with the stream, paused and looked at the ceiling. He slowly moved the light across it and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see anything except stalactites. He put his screwdriver in his pocket, switched his flashlight to his other hand and put his free hand in the tote bag ready to lob a bomb at a moment's notice.

He went past the cavern into a narrow passageway, his eyes darting around looking for any sign of trouble. He had temporarily blocked his family's minds from him so they wouldn't be tempted to contact him. He didn't know if the spiders could pick up on telepathic conversations if they weren't directed at them but he wasn't taking any chances. He hated that familiar feeling of emptiness but he forced himself to ignore it while he pressed on.

He stopped short and quickly turned off his flashlight when he noticed movement up ahead. He could sense spiders coming into the room, could pick up snatches of telepathic conversation and he quickly blocked his mind from them so they wouldn't detect him. He crouched down and listened to the snatches of conversation while he reached out with his senses to try to determine how many spiders were in front of him. He hadn't heard anything that made him think that the queen was among them but he was confident he would get her eventually.

He slowly reached into his bag and pulled out a bomb. He put his finger on the trigger button and readied himself to throw it. He paused with his arm behind him and then he pressed the button, threw it as hard as he could and sprinted back through the opening running away from it as fast as he could. He saw the crystals light up when the bomb went off and heard the screaming of dozens of spiders in his mind while he stopped and looked back. He grinned when he saw them shrinking a moment before the bomb finally stopped and the cavern was plunged into darkness again.

"Yup, me and my brother are just brilliant!" he said while he turned his flashlight back on.

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Kida slowly opened the door and peeked inside her bedroom. Her eyes widened when she saw Alan lying on the bed in just his Y-fronts. His clothes were strewn all over the room and there was a lusty look in his eyes.

"Found that rope?" he said. "Good! Let's get down to business then! How would you like to be tied, stomach up or stomach down?"

Kida stood there and stared at him in shock.

"COME ON, TIED UP AND TIED DOWN?" Alan screamed, startling her. "I TOLD YA I CAN'T KEEP MY WOMB BROOM AT ATTENTION ALL DAY! SO WHAT'S IT GONNA BE?"

"Um, look, suddenly I'm not too sure about this," she said.

"Wadda ya mean, you're not too sure about this? I thought you wanted this body! Now you're having second thoughts after I gave myself to you? Dear God, you women are fussy! My wife was the same way. I'd tie her up so she was on her stomach and she'd gripe that she'd want on her back. I'd put her on her back, she'd want on her stomach. I'd use the whip without the barbed wire; she'd want the barbed wire one. You lot just cannot make up your mind, can ya?"

Kida began to back away.

"Where ya goin' now?" he said, getting up. "I'm randy, woman! Can't ya see that? Now get over here and pleasure this hunky body o' mine!"

Kida turned and ran but Alan quickly caught up with her, snatched her from behind and picked her up off her feet.

"I am not in the mood for this! I need my sexual thrills and I need them now!" he said, taking the struggling princess into the room.

Kicking the door closed with his foot, he shoved her onto the bed. Kida quickly spun around onto her back and stared up at him with terrified eyes.

"No, please, I've changed my mind! Really, I'll let you go if you just leave me alone!" she said to him.

"Too late now, you killed my wife and daughter and I'm not about to live the rest of my lives without sexual pleasure."

"Then find someone else!"

"There is no one else," Alan snarled. "Because thanks to you, they're dead now!"

"I'm sorry, alright? I'm so sorry I killed your wife and daughter!"

"Oh I just bet you are! Just like you're sorry you killed every other innocent person who had the misfortune of crossing your path! You wanted me so badly, well, here I am! Unfortunately, you didn't realize that I'm a bit kinky when it comes to having sex. Well tough, if I'm gonna suffer for the rest of your life being your consort then you're gonna do it my way and I like it hard and rough, so drop your kit and let's have at it, NOW!"

She gasped and began to tremble when she saw his wild eyed look.

"No, I've changed my mind. You can go, just go!" she said.

"I can't go."

"Wh..why not?"

"Because I gotta stay here and make sure no one else suffers. I'm not about to see you feed other innocent people to those spiders of yours."

"I won't. I promise."

She flinched when Alan got in close and stared at her with his intense dark eyes.

"Why don't I believe you?" he growled.

"Please, I mean it. I won't feed any more people to the spiders, I swear!"

"Oh, I know you won't."

Kida stared at him.

"What do you mean?" she said.

He smirked.

"Because at this very moment the Doctor, my identical twin brother, is shrinking your little pets down to a harmless size and they'll stay that way forever more."

She blinked.

"Identical twin brother?" she said slowly.

He grinned.

"Alonzo Arthur Timelord," he said. "Pleased to meet you. Well, not really pleased per say, but you know, it's just a polite way of saying hello. But you can call me Alan, everyone else does."

"You're not the Doctor?"

"Nope," he said, popping the P.

The princess stared at him for a moment and then realization sank in. She hurried to the door but Alan was faster. She gasped when he flung himself against it and glared at her.

"You harmed my sister and niece, made my poor brother suffer needlessly and pulled me and the rest of his family away from a relaxing holiday and all because you wanted him for your own when he wasn't yours to take!" he snarled.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, I don't believe it! I don't believe you're sorry except you're sorry you got caught!" he growled. "You are nothing but a spoiled bratty little bitch who thought you could just have anything you wanted including my brother. Well, you know what, Missy? I may be his baby brother but I will defend him and my family to the death if need be and believe me, you don't want me as an enemy and if you don't believe that, ask the Daleks…well, you could ask them, I guess, if they were still alive because I blew them up and turned them into scrap!"

Kida was trembling now.

"What's wrong? I thought you were a big, bad all-powerful ruler? But you're not, are you? You're just a scared little girl who pretends to be an all-powerful ruler and bully everyone around you and if they don't toe the line, they become spider chow! Well, you made a mistake going after my brother, Princess, because they don't call him The Oncoming Storm for nothing and as for me…"

He neared closer to her.

"Like I said, ask the Daleks I turned into dust what they think of me."

"I'm…sorry, if I could bring back your family, I would."

He grinned.

"Oh, they're alive."

She blinked.

"What?"

She flinched when his face hardened again.

"Yes, my beloved sister and niece are alive, thankfully. And it's a good thing because I don't fancy seeing my brother and family spend the rest of their lives utterly devastated which is what would have happened if they really had died. My brother loves Rain and Jenny with every ounce of his being and so do I and if they did die, I promise you there would have been nowhere in all of creation you could have hidden from us! And right now, I have half a mind to drag you back to our TARDIS and take you to Volag Nok so they can put you away forever for murder and attempted murder."

He neared even closer to her and she trembled even more seeing the blackness of his eyes.

"Do you know what Volag Nok is?" he said in a low deadly tone of voice.

She swallowed hard and shook her head. He leaned his face into hers. She tried to look away but he grabbed her face and jerked her head back to his.

"It's a prison planet far away from here," he said as his piercing gaze bored into hers. "A prison that's built under a planet of ice and snow. So if you did happen to find your way outside, there would be nothing but icy wasteland in every direction and you'd freeze to death long before you found a way back here. That's where I would love to take you right now!"

"No, please have mercy!"

He snorted.

"Mercy? Did you show my sister and niece mercy when you allowed the spiders to take them away, webbed up and terrified? Did you show my brother mercy when he was in the throes of despair and thought he would never see the two people he loves most in the whole universe alive again? Did you care about any of them when your mind was on possessing my brother and making him yours? If you didn't care about them then why should I care about you?"

"If you take me to this Volag Nok, then you're no better than I am!" she stuttered out.

He snorted.

"Oh please, you'd have a nice warm cell there with a bed and a toilet and three meals a day. You wouldn't be plastered to the wall in a web cocoon with an enormous bite wound on your neck and venom coursing through your veins while you waited to become an arachnid's dinner. So don't even compare what you did to what I want to do to you. Compared to what Rain and Jenny went through, your time there would be a walk in the park."

"My father and mother wouldn't let…"

She gasped when Alan seized her by her dress and put his face inches from hers.

"Yeah, where is mummy and daddy?" he snarled. "Because I do wanna talk to them. I wanna tell them what you did and show them the bite marks on my family member's necks and I want them to explain to me why they didn't do anything to stop you! So, you tell me how to contact them and I'll gladly talk to them myself!"

Kida swallowed hard.

"Please don't tell them," she said.

"What? Now you don't want them involved? A moment ago you were telling me that your parents wouldn't let me take you to Volag Nok and now you don't want them to hear what you did? They really don't know what you've been doing, is that it? Then maybe we should talk to them and enlighten them on your little activities."

"No! Don't tell them! I promise I'll stop!"

_Brother._

Alan paused when he heard his brother's voice in his head.

_Yes, Te'lesau?_

_I've done it. I've gotten the majority of them at least. I'm looking around and I don't see any more big spiders and I've gotten the queen. She's just a teeny tiny arachnid now. They can't hurt anyone anymore._

Alan chuckled.

"What?" Kida said.

"My brother just contacted me telepathically. Your spider army is finished. They're a bunch of teeny tiny spiders now, including the queen. So now you have no muscle to back you up, it's only you!"

She gasped when he jerked her closer to his face.

"Where's the secret entrance into the castle so my brother can come inside?" he snarled.

"I'll…I'll show you!"

She gasped when he shoved her towards the door.

"And don't try anything because you'll regret it if you do," he said coldly.

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After Kida led him to the door, Alan called to his brother both mentally and vocally, leading him to it. He smiled when he finally reached the doorway.

"Good work, my brother," Alan said to him.

"Yes, you too. Although…"

He stared down at his underwear.

"Must have been quite an interesting time up in the bedroom."

Alan glanced down at his Y-fronts.

"Oooops, forgot I was nearly starkers," he said. "But no, we did nothing. I wouldn't shag this brat for all the money in the universe, not when I have my angelic Rose waiting for me in the TARDIS."

"Good because I'm sure Rose would have something to say about you having sex with another woman," he said.

He stared at Kida who was looking at the two of them in shock.

"Yes, we're twins which is why it was so easy to switch my brother for me while I took care of your pets," the Doctor said smugly. "And thanks to Alan, I had enough time to miniaturize them all, including their queen."

He whipped out the screwdriver and pointed it at her.

"Care to join them?" he said. "I'm sure all the tiny spiders would like a tiny princess to look after them and feed them insects!"

"No, please!" Kida said. "I told your brother I wouldn't bother anyone anymore. Just please leave. Take your family and go."

"She doesn't want us informing her parents of the naughty things she did," Alan said to him.

"Really? And what if I didn't? Would you take that as a signal to go back to doing what you've been doing, killing and hurting people like my wife and daughter?"

"No! I swear I won't hurt anyone! I've learned my lesson, honestly! I'm sorry I did that to you, really I am! Just please go! Don't take me to Volag Nok!"

The Doctor cocked his head to one side and then gave his brother an amused grin.

"Threatened to take her to Volag Nok, did ya?"

"Yup!"

He snickered.

"That's a pretty good idea actually. I think a few hundred years in a metal cell deep beneath the ice and snow will sort her out nicely."

"No!" he said as they giggled. "Really! I promise I won't do anything else! Please just give me another chance!"

The brothers stared at her.

"What d'ya think, Te'lesau?" Alan said. "Shall we let it slide and give the little brat another chance?"

"Weeeeell, maybe we can give her another chance since her spider army's been dispatched."

She gasped when the Doctor came up to her and stared at her with the same intense look that his brother had given her.

"But I'm warning you," he growled. "I will be back to check on you and if I hear you've harmed any more innocents then you better fly away as fast as you can because my brother and I will make your life a living hell! YOU GOT THAT?"

She flinched and nodded her head rapidly. Her eyes bugged out when he rapidly switched gears and gave her a cheerful smile.

"Cheers, thanks for that. Now, I think once my brother gets his kit back on we'll be off."

His face hardened.

"Remember…I'll be watching," he said in a low voice.

She nodded her head rapidly. He instantly brightened as he patted his brother on the shoulder.

"You know, Antillies Minor sounds heavenly. I think Rain and Jenny would love the tropical beach. I say we go back there for a little well deserved rest."

"No arguments from me."

Kida gasped when Alan rounded and ran back to her.

"But just because we're on the beach getting some sun and having fun, don't think you can start up with the killing again because my brother and I have ways of seeing if you're naughty and nice…just like Father Christmas!"

He spun back around and walked back to his brother. Kida stared at them both, stunned, as they quickly hurried up to the bedroom to retrieve his clothes.

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"Aaaaah! This is just brilliant!" the Doctor sighed as he lay with his wife on a blanket on the white sands of Antillies Minor.

She was cuddled up close to him in her bathing suit, lying with her head on his bare chest while he had his arm around her. Beside him, Jenny stretched out on another blanket sunbathing. She looked at him.

"Yeah, why didn't we come here instead of going to the planet of evil princesses and spiders?" she asked him.

"I told you I didn't know they had enormous spiders there nor was I aware there was a bratty, murderous princess. Despite all that, you have to admit the crystal caves were spectacular, right?"

"Yeah, they were, until the spiders attacked us," Rain said.

The Doctor feigned exasperation.

"You just have to nitpick every place we go to, doncha?" he said to her.

He smiled when she giggled and kissed the top of her head. He raised his head up and watched his brother and sisters laughing and splashing in the surf before sighing contentedly and lowering his head back to the blanket.

"Dad?"

He glanced at Jenny.

"Hmmm?"

"You really think she's gonna behave now?"

"She better if she knows what's good for her."

"So you really are going to go back and check on her, love?"

"Oooooh, I might pop in once just to show her I mean business," he said. "And I might go back when her parents are at home and accidentally let it slip that their daughter tried to kill you both. You know me; I just can't keep my gob shut."

They laughed and he smiled when Rain scooted up until her head was next to his.

"I love you so much, Theta."

"And I love you too, Latara, with all my hearts."

He glanced over when Jenny crawled over to him.

"What about me? Do you love me?"

He pretended to consider that while Jenny laughed and slapped his arm.

"I love you when you're not acting like a soldier," he said.

"Dad, I haven't acted like a soldier since Messaline."

"Well, I love ya then."

She shook her head when he chuckled and hugged him when he wrapped an arm around her.

"You both are my lives and I'm so glad you're here with me now," he said.

"Same here," Rain said while Jenny nodded.

They all closed their eyes enjoying one another's company. Suddenly, they all gasped when cold water hit their bodies. Their eyes snapped open and they saw Alan standing in front of them holding a yellow plastic sand pail in his hand.

"Ooops, I'm so sorry, I tripped on a shell and my water just splashed all over your bodies. I'm such a klutz sometimes."

"Get him!" the Doctor yelled.

Alan's eyes bulged and he took off across the sand while the Doctor and his family leapt up and gave chase, laughing hysterically with the rest of his family while they ran after him under the warm Antillies Minor sun.

THE END.


End file.
